The pressurized food processing industry utilizes basically the same principle of operation, that consist on pouring the product to be processed into a metallic container named reactor, then it is sealed and energy is applied through an external heat and pressure source, that normally is water steam in ranges of 150° C. to 200° C., then it is agitated by transmissions and motors to ensure an homogeneous cooking of the product, and await until the interior of the device reaches the ranges of 150 to 200 pounds per square inch, that may take intervals of 10 to 20 minutes.
The patent from United Kingdom GB1262718, proposes a device to process expanded cereals in a continuous mode, comprised the steps for entering the product as grain or flour, in a pressurized heated gas stream, typically superheated steam, that is then discharged in a low pressure gas atmosphere, and the expansion effect take place. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of utilizing hot air as the main heating element and is equipped with electronic control devices.
The patent from the U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,158 proposed an apparatus for puffing corn by a fan that irradiates heat from an internal heating element into the chamber where the product is being processed. This apparatus has the limitation of processing only corn and does not operate at high temperature or pressure ranges. The present invention in comparison has the advantage of being capable to process several crops, by using pressure and temperature at high levels in a controlled manner by electronic devices.
The patent from the United Kingdom GB2186180 presents an apparatus for cereal popping, that comprises a rotatable baking drum, with hopper and screw feeder to continuously feed the cereals into, a device for collecting the dehydrated cereal after the baking drum, the transportation to a ejection cylinder where the cereal is subject to the action of a high temperature steam flow, and an opening device to expose the moisture laden cereal to the effect of the expansion by depressurization. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of being built of one single piece structure, utilized hot air at high pressure and has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from Europe EP0274358 proposes a machine for the production of puffed cereals comprising of two rotation drums with sealed lids of automatic closing and mounted on a platform. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of being built of one single piece, does not has rotating elements and does not require mechanical external devices. It also has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from Japan JP62294071 presents a device that fees raw material through a pipeline heated by water steam up to a reactor where the steam is removed, from the reactor the product is discharged through a nozzle located at the bottom of the reactor, in this way the product is released from the high temperature and pressure atmosphere to the atmospheric environment through the nozzle. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of not requiring additional pipelines, utilized hot air instead of steam as the main thermal agent and has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from Japan JP63014661 presents a machine to expand and process granular raw material from cereals in shape of twisted cake with no need of cutting devices in continuous flow, expanding as extruding the material through a pressure nozzle, and twisting the cake with a rotary disc that also cuts the line. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of being built of one single piece, to process other types of food besides cereal raw materials and does not incorporate rotary elements. It also has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from Europe EP0344664 presents an apparatus for processing products with starch, by the exposure in a reaction chamber to the gravity effects or a centrifugal field, where a combination of air and steam injected at high speed in several angles, the mixture to be processed in the product is introduced with the air and the steam, and in the expansion chamber a velocity component opposite to the direction of the field is imposed to the steam and air flow. The present invention in comparison has the advantages that it utilizes hot air instead of steam, does not incorporate mobile parts and does not require external mechanical elements to induce movement, and that it is built of on single piece. It also has electronic control devices installed.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,923 presents an apparatus for expanding amaranth grains, feed into a cylinder with small perforations to which hot air is applied externally, the expanded grain is collected in the perforated screen and transported outside the cylinder. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of processing other types of food besides cereals such as amaranth, it works with hot air feed at high pressure and it has electronic control devices installed.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,405 presents a machine for corn popping by the utilization of hot pressurized air from a blower motor and heating coil. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of processing other types of foods besides cereals, and utilizes hot air at high pressure from a compressor. It also has electronic control devices installed.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,239 presents a spherical chamber for puffing and cooking several matters from flour, utilizing hot air from a high temperature element induced by a fan than drives the air into the chamber directly or in spiral from top to bottom and bottom up and cooks the starches in the flour, and then lower temperature air is induced to cool the product down. The present invention in comparison has the advantages to operate at higher ranges of pressure, to process a wider variety of foods, and generate an internal flow like a hurricane in the inside. It also has electronic control devices installed.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,021 presents a device based in a cylindrical shape with an internal cavity and a piston than runs into the cavity where the cereal or flour pellets are deposited ad temperature is applied, the piston running increases the pressure inside, which when is released the puffing effect takes place. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of do not incorporate mechanical elements for pressure and utilizes compressed hot air to pressurize. It is built of one single piece and does not have mobile parts. It also has electronic control devices installed
The patent from China CN1107660 presents a device for puffing and preserving fruits with high nutritious value, composed by a tank for high pressure and temperature puffing, connected to sections of vacuum, heating, cooling and compressed air. The fruit is heated, pressurized and depressurized instantaneously in the puffing tank. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of processing a wide variety of foods besides fruits, it is built of one single piece, does not require vacuum chamber, nor cooling either, and it has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from Japan JP8023909 proposes a device for puffing grains comprised by a chamber of pressurized air flow and a cereal feeder, connected through an on-off valve at the top and bottom sides, equipped with a porous plate at the lower side that opens an closes and allows the pass of hot steam fed from a steam source, the lower part gets connected to a low pressure chamber with a device that generates the vacuum that provokes the effect of puffing. The present invention in comparison has the advantages that it is built of one single piece, does not have mobile pieces, utilizes hot air instead of steam to heat and pressurize, does not requires vacuum to generate the effect of puffing and it also has electronic control devices.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,098 presents a machine comprised of a stationary barrel horizontally mounted and heated by electrical coils, with another concentric barrel spinning inside and with high temperature steam injected that generates the required pressure for the puffing effect. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of being built of one single piece, does not have internal mobile parts, utilizes hot air instead of steam for pressurizing and heating, does not uses electricity and it has electronic control devices installed.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,152 proposed an oven to cook pastas and flavors from several grains, by a machine comprised of a 3 sliding molds for loading the product, baking and discharging it in continuous flow. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of processing other types of foods besides pastas and flavors, it does not have mobile parts because it is build in one single piece, and it has electronic control devices installed.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,584 presents an apparatus to fusion cereals or flavors with additives and sweeteners, utilizing electricity transformed in ultrasound energy to agglutinate the flavors and starches, mixing them with flavors and delivering the product in one single piece. The present inventions in comparison has the advantages of being built of one single piece, it process other types of foods besides cereals and flavors, does not have mobile parts or external devices, utilizes high pressure hot air to generate the operating conditions and has electronic control devices installed. It does not require electricity to operate.
The U.S. Pat. No. 581,793 presents a process to puff rice, starting from previously puffed grain and concentrated in one single piece and baked by the application of ultrasound. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of processing other types of food besides of rice, it has no mobile parts nor external devices, utilize pressurized hot air to generate the required operating conditions and has electronic control devices installed. It does not require electricity to work.
The patent from Russia RU2137407 presents an apparatus for processing grains, comprised on two fixed plates interconnected through guides on which movable plates are mounted, it has two heating units on each side of the guides attached to the fixed plates. It has a ring that gets positioned over the lower heating unit and that is attached to the movable upper plate, a linking mechanism drives the lower heating unit. The lower plate is positioned in such a way that drives its movement. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of being built of one single piece, it has not movable parts not internal structures, utilizes hot air and has electronic control devices installed.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,631 presents a method for puffing product prepared with cereal flour, by the usage of radiated energy from microwaves. The present invention in comparison has the advantages that utilizes hot air as the thermal agent and pressure generator, it has electronic control devices installed, it does not work with electricity and the cooking process allows the preservation of more natural nutrients in the food.
The patent from Japan JP2003152662 proposed a method to process cereals by the pressurization and heating of the product my mechanical jeans, and depressurize the product by the exposure to the environmental pressure. The general concept behind is of a mechanical press that compresses the product held in molds at high temperature. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of being build of one single piece, it does not have external mechanical pieces to generate pressure, utilized hot air and it has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from Japan JP2003333992 presents an apparatus to process barely cakes with water, that feeds the cereal in a heated and pressurized chamber inside an expansion machine, when the chamber is heated the pressure inside increases, and then is released producing the expansion of the cereal. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of processing other types of foods besides barely cakes, it is build of one single piece, it has not mobile parts, utilizes hot air to heat and pressurize, and it has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from Japan JP2003334011 presents an apparatus for expanding cereal comprised by a cylinder and a conveyor with screw shape, the cereal is heated while is being transported through the cylinder to the opposite side where the cereal is accumulated, there high pressure is applied by the screw and then the cereal is expulsed through an extrusion nozzle placed at the side of the cylinder. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of being built of one single piece, it has no mobile parts nor mechanical devices, it utilizes hot air for pressurizing and heating the cereal and it has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from Spain ES2198895 presents an apparatus for expanding grains and vegetables that comprises a pre-heating device where the raw material is heated for a time, and then is transported into a sealed container with lids controlled by external devices, and then hot steam is applied to complete the cooking process and increase the internal temperature of the container, all of that performed with external devices; when the pressure and temperature reach the right levels, the load is depressurized and leave the container completely expanded. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of being built of one single piece, it has no external or mechanical devices, utilizes hot air to heat and pressurize the reactor, does not require additional pipelines to transport the product, nor pre-heating devices either. It also has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from Russia RU2220586 presents an method for expanding grain that consist on feeding the grain previously wet into a high pressure chamber heated by high temperature steam, and the abrupt discharge to atmospheric level pressure and having the expanding effect made. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of utilizing hot air fir pressurizing instead of steam, it has electronic control devices installed and works with smaller loads and cycle times.
The patent from Japan JP2004105102 presents an apparatus to swell cakes by the usage of movable molds upwards and downwards, where the raw material is deposited, the mold constitutes a high temperature pressurized press that change the high temperature and pressure to the environmental levels instantaneously to produce the expansion. The present invention in comparison has no mobile parts or external devices, does not utilize mechanical devices to increase the pressure, it process other types of foods and it has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from China CN1583235 presents an apparatus for grain puffing with hot air, comprised by a compressor, valves, air filter, temperature regulator, grain spinning feeder, air flow puffing chamber, puffed grain collection container, hot air compressor and humidifier. All the aforementioned placed in blocks integrated into a single system where the grain is fed, the high pressure air is filtered and injected to increase the temperature and pressure in the chamber where the product is puffed. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of being built of one single piece, it does not have external devices nor mobile parts, it does not require pipelines nor conveyors to transport the product, it does not need containers nor additional chambers and it has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from Japan JP2005198507 presents an apparatus to process extruded confectionery in predetermined geometrical shapes, comprised by a feeder to access the crushed cereal, a barrel continuously pressurized and maintained at high temperature where the cereal is deposited and a nozzle and a cutter where the product is extruded and shaped to the desired figure. The present application in comparison has the advantages of being able to process all types of foods that contains starches besides cereals, it does not have mobile parts, it is built of one single piece and it has electronic control devices installed.
The patent from U.S. Pat. No. 6,935,855 presents an apparatus for processing foods with water content, comprised by an extrusion chamber of controlled pressure and exposed to high temperature to evaporate the water from the product, it transports the product through a sluice to the section of extruding nozzles, where the product is extruded and processed. The present invention in comparison has the advantages of process the food with a minimum content of water, it utilizes hot air so it does not require exposure to external sources of heat, and it has electronic control devices installed.